Anxiety & Panic Attacks

What is Anxiety?

Dr Harry Barry describes Anxiety as ‘an uncomfortable state of hyper-alertness due to fear’ in which ‘the body’s internal Stress system is constantly activated’.

The lives of 74% of the Irish population have been impeded by abnormally high levels of Anxiety (Aware, 2023). Anxiety can be characterised by feelings of fear, worry, or uneasiness producing physical and psychological responses, which facilitate a state of high alertness within the body. These reactions usually fade once the stressful situation (or ‘stressor’) has passed.

However, while primitive humans successfully countered the dangers through combat, or by absconding, a fight or flight to response in today’s world is often inappropriate, because these threats are mainly only perceived and not real. Such Anxiety responses are actually unintentionally established by us, as a means of attempting to keep ourselves safe. Moreover, because we feel we do not have an outlet to release these undesirable symptoms from our own bodies, we tend to avoid certain situations in the hope that our Anxiety will not be triggered. This is often described as developing ‘a fear of the fear itself’.

Consequently, people are denied potential job opportunities, or chances to develop personal relationships. Some may irrationally anticipate tragedy or worry about family, money, health, and perhaps even about how to get through each day. Panic Attacks and intense Anxiety are features of Panic disorder, but not everyone who has a Panic Attack will develop Panic Disorder.

Physical Symptoms:

What triggers anxiety?

Anxiety can be a general emotional response, or it can be triggered by specific situations or events. Sometimes Anxiety can occur when faced with a particular event or object, such as flying on an airplane, or fear of getting an injection. Other times Anxiety manifests following the trauma of a death, injury, violence, drugs, poverty, or abuse. Experiencing such a traumatic event may lead to feelings of extreme fear or helplessness.

Some theories suggest people suffering from Anxiety are predisposed to a number of contributing factors, such as chemical imbalances in the brain, genetics, and perhaps personality type. In fact, some medications may create Anxiety as a side effect, but any decision to refrain from these should always be discussed with your GP.

Anxiety can also generate specific, repetitive behaviours that may be disruptive to a person’s daily life (e.g., constantly washing hands, or regularly checking that doors and windows are locked). Although individuals know that their actions are irrational, they persist with these so-called safety behaviours in an attempt to avert their feelings of Anxiety. Nonetheless, rather than containing or eradicating their fear, safety behaviours actually reinforce the cycle of Anxiety!

What are the main anxiety disorders?

Constant worries and fears distract you from your day-to-day activities interspersing a persistent feeling that something bad is going to happen. GAD sometimes presents through insomnia, stomach upset, restlessness, and fatigue. Around 5% of people will suffer Generalised Anxiety Disorder during their lifetime. Many people with an Anxiety Disorder suffer from more than one, and their Anxiety issues are also often combined with high rates of alcoholism, drug abuse, or Depression.

Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)

If you have a debilitating fear of being seen negatively by others and humiliated in public, you may have Social Anxiety Disorder, also known as Social Phobia. Social Anxiety Disorder can be thought of as extreme shyness. In severe cases, social situations are avoided altogether. Performance Anxiety (better known as stage fright) and fear of public speaking are the most common examples of this type. Other fears associated with Social Phobia include fear of eating or drinking in public, talking to strangers, taking exams, mingling at a party, and being called on in a classroom or workplace.

Panic Disorder (Panic Attacks)

Symptoms of a Panic Disorder can be so severe that those suffering often believe they are having a heart attack or suffering from another life threatening illness. They are commonly feature repeated, unexpected waves of Panic, as well as the overwhelming fear of experiencing another episode.

Panic Attacks may also be accompanied by agoraphobia, which is a fear of being in places where escape or help would be difficult, in the event of an episode of Panic.
Research indicates random Panic Attacks are brought on by our own ‘fight or flight’ response. Since prehistoric times this ‘fight or flight’ response has been our in-built alarm system. If it alerted us to a danger level beyond our defensive abilities, we simply fled the scene. In the modern world, most of the time, we can rationalise that there is no real threat to our safety from everyday situations, such as public speaking or flying.

However, when the false alarm still continues to sound this causes significant mind and body reactions. Fear of when the next attack will occur causes persistent worrying and intense Anxiety between attacks (i.e. fear of the fear itself). Panic Attacks can seriously limit the way a person lives their life, as they attempt to avoid situations that trigger the attack. This vicious circle of negativity can fuel the development of other problems and phobias.

“Think you can, think you can’t; either way, you’ll be right” (Henry Ford).

Get in touch